Birds of a Feather
by garg-girl
Summary: Crossover with SG1. Teyla and Teal'c find a kinship in each other.


**Birds of a Feather**

_**by garggirl**_

Disclaimer:   
All the characters appearing in this fic are copyright Cooper/Wright Company and Double Secret Productions.  
No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder.  
All original characters are the property of garggirl.

Teyla stood nervously in the Gaterium of Atlantis, a green duffle bag sitting at her feet. Now that the city had a working ZPM, the Atlantis residents now had a secondary link to Earth in addition to the regular visits by the Daeladus. Lt. Col. Sheppard and Drs Weir and McKay had gone back and forth several times, but this was the first time Teyla was asked to join them, and the prospect was making the Athosian woman more than a little nervous.

Of course, she wasn't counting the fog civilization of M5S 224 who fooled them into thinking they were on Earth. Teyla wasn't entirely sure of how much of the illusion had been based in fact, and this only served to unnerve her more.

"Hey, Teyla, you ready to go?"

Teyla looked up at the sound of her name and watched as Sheppard descended the stairs towards her carrying a duffle bag on his shoulder identical to hers. She smiled slightly in a vain attempt to mask her nervousness from her friend. "I believe so."

John gave Teyla a measuring look as he sidled up next to her. "You sure? You seem a liitle off. Something bothering you?"

Teyla let the smile fall from her lips. "Is it that obvious?" John shrugged non-committedly. "I have never been to your planet before, let alone another galaxy. I am not wholly sure what to expect."

John gave her one of his patented charming smiles. "Hey, don't sweat it. You'll fit in just fine. There's a lot of people eagerly waiting to meet you just on the other side of that gate," he motioned dramatically to the Stargate in a grand flourish. "Everything will be great."

Teyla studied Sheppard's face for a moment before breathing a cleansing sigh. "Perhaps you are correct. I am probably reading to much into it."

It was at that moment, McKay and Weir joined them. 

"Are ready to go?" McKay looked expectantly at Sheppard and Teyla who, in turn, nodded silently.

Weir looked up at the technician sitting at the Gate switchboard. "Dial it up!"

In a moment, the shimmering pool indicating the event horizon billowed out before coalesing into the now familiar watery surface. John offered an arm to Elizabeth. "To Oz?" 

Elizabeth smiled wryly as she linked her arm around his, her eyes gleaming with laughter. "To Oz!"

Weir took a final look around the room, her eyes finally coming to rest on Carson, Radek and Ronon who stood up on the landing, watching the departure. "Keep her safe," she in-toned, just as she did everytime she had to leave the city...her city.

And the quartet started forth.

------

The bright fluorescent lights of the SGC seemed more intense than the gentle, naturally sunlit rooms of Atlantis. The air tasted stale. Drab, bare steel and concrete walls towered over them. As Teyla walked tentatively down the ramp, she gazed uneasily around her. The sounds of the water gently lapping against the outer edges of the city that she had grown so used to was now replaced by the strange whirring, buzzing and beeping of the Earth machines, and it unsettled her.

Teyla's eyes finally fell on the small group of people essembled at the bottom of the ramp. The older of the gentlemen stood as straight as a rod.

"Welcome back to the SGC, Dr Weir, Dr McKay, Lt. Col. Sheppard," he said pleasantly. "It's good to see you are all well."

"Well, as well as can be expected," John interjected.

Elizabeth cast a reassuring glance at Teyla and silently signalled John to usher the woman forward. "I'd like you to meet Teyla Emmagan," Elizabeth said calmly. "Leader of our primary allies, the Athosians, and a most valued member of Atlantis' flag team. Teyla, this is Gen. Landry, Col. Cameron Mitchell, Lt. Col. Samantha Carter, Dr Daniel Jackson and Teal'c." 

Teyla steeled herself and stepped towards Landry. Placing a hand on each of his shoulders, Teyla bent her head forward slightly. Landry looked at Weir quizzically for a second before reciprocating the gesture, touching his forehead to Teyla's. Beside him, Landry heard Carter chuckle under her breath. After a moment, Teyla broke the contact and looked back up at him.

"Thank you for inviting me to your homeworld, Gen. Landry."

Landry cleared his throat conspiculously, clearly unnerved by the Athosian greeting. "You are quite welcome, Miss Emmagan. We're happy to have you." Landry then looked up at the others. "Now, if you will all please follow me."

Landry pivoted sharply on his heels and led the way out of the Gate room, Weir falling into step next to him.

------

For the entire walk through the long corridors, Jackson and Landry took turns plying Weir for information on the latest Wraith activity, Mitchell and Sheppard conversed back and forth as if they were friends talking about old times, and McKay chattered happily at Carter.

Teyla remained silent, no one engaging her in conversation as she stared in wonder around her at the oh-so-many Earth contraptions they passed. Occassionally, she would cast a look behind her to where Teal'c brought up the end of the group. He appeared to be watching her with great interest.

A few minutes later, Teyla found herself ascending a spiral staircase that emptied out into a large space which she assumed was the base's conference room. In a moment, everyone took a seat at the table and the de-briefing began.

Teyla unconsiously tuned most of the meeting out, her attention wandering around the room looking at the various banners of what she had been told were flags belonging to the many Earth nations involved with the Stargate program.

At one point, her gaze drifted across the massive form of Teal'c, who was once again watching her. His head was cocked to the side and an eyebrow was arched impossibly high. The attention was further unnerving Teyla and she quickly snapped her attention back to the task at hand.

------

A short while later, Teyla sat alone in the commisary, a steaming cup of what Dr Jackson had called chamomile tea sat in front of her. He had been quite sure that Teyla was feeling more than a little overwhelmed at being in an entirely new galaxy, and he assured her was just the thing to relax her.

She had just been about to take her first sip of the beverage when a shadow splayed across the table. Looking up, Teyla found Teal'c next to her, hands folded behind his back. 

"I hope I am not interrupting," he said as pleasantly as his gruff voice would allow.

Teyla swallowed nervously before replying. "Not at all," she smiled slightly and motioned to the vacant seat across from her.

A long silence stretched between the pair. Teyla kept her eyes trained on the liquid in her cup and she could feel her table-mate's penetrating gaze pin her to the chair. Soon, it was Teal'c who broke the silence.

"I am given to understand that you have lived your entire life under the oppressive force of the Wraith." 

Teyla nodded, setting her cup down and for the first time, raised her gaze to meet Teal'c's. "The Wraith have been a scourge among our stars for untold centuries. There has been many a time I have envied the Earth humans for having never known the horror of a Wraith culling."

Teal'c nodded. "I know such a feeling all too well. For centuries my people were enslaved by a raced known as the Goa'ould. Were it not for the efforts of the Taur'i and their allies over the past nine years, the Jaffa nation would not be free of their tyrannical oppression."

"Goa'ould?" Teyla said thoughtfully. "I have heard many people in Atlantis utter such a word from time to time. But I do not know the other word. Taur'i?"

Teal'c smiled slightly. "It is what my people call the humans of Earth."

Teyla nodded her understanding. "The...Taur'i," Teyla allowed herself a smile at her use of Teal'c's word., "have been very kind to my people and I, but, sometimes I feel like I am on the outside looking in. Foreign to many of their ways. Do you not feel the same?" 

"Indeed. However, it has not deterred their efforts to include me in many of their activities...however strange they might be."

Teyla's smile broaden. "Those in Atlantis have done the same for myself many a time."

Teal'c was studying Teyla again, but this time, it didn't unnerve Teyla as much as it did earlier.

"Perhaps," Teal'c said slowly. "When you return to Atlantis, you would enjoy a message from me from time to time?"

Teyla blushed slightly and sipped at her tea. "I would look forward to it, to be sure. What is it, Lt. Col. Sheppard is so fond of saying? Birds of a feather should flock together?"

Teal'c smiled slightly and rose, before bowing slightly and striding from the room.

Teyla watched the massive man's departure. Yes, she would definitely enjoy keeping in touch with Teal'c of the Jaff nation.

THE END


End file.
